More than 70 years after World War 2, the bodies of 36 US Marines have been found on a remote Pacific island.

The remains of the men were discovered after a four-month excavation on Betio Island in Kiribati. It's believed that the men were killed during the Battle of Tarawa in 1943.

Overall, more than 1,000 Americans died at Tarawa, while the entire Japanese garrison of 4,800 was wiped out."

According to Yahoo! News, the remains have not been formally identified yet. Later this month, they will be identified using a combination of dental records and DNA comparison with surviving relatives.

Mark Noah, whose organisation worked with the US Defense Department on the project, is planning on doing what ever it takes to bring these men back home for a proper burial.

"(They) had an expectation that if they were to die in the line of duty defending their country they would be brought home... that was a promise made 70 years ago that we felt should be kept,""

To learn more, you can read more about this project from Yahoo.

 

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